Zack Darlington had several scholarship offers in hand, but then came the call he had been waiting for late last week.

Summoned from his sixth-period class to the office of his father, Rick, the football coach at Apopka (Fla.) High School, he found out Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was on the phone. In the next few seconds, Meyer told Zack he was what the Buckeyes were looking for in a quarterback and formally offered a scholarship to be part of the 2014 recruiting class.

“Honestly, I don’t even think thrilled is the right word, it’s not good enough for what I am feeling,” Darlington said. “I’d say ecstatic, every great word that could come to mind, that’s what I’m feeling. It’s something I’ve been working toward for a long time.

“And when Ohio State started showing the interest early, that’s the offer I wanted to get because it shows the work is paying off.”

Ohio State’s homework also is showing. There was no secret Meyer and his staff hoped to flip the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback prospect, DeShaun Watson, of Gainesville, Ga., from his long-standing commitment to Clemson. But it became apparent at the start of last week that Watson didn’t share the same interest in OSU.

Meyer and his staff, led by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman, worked quickly to develop other options in the quest for a quarterback in the 2014 class.

They offered Kyle Allen of Scottsdale, Ariz., a standout in their summer camp a year ago and considered one of the elite pro-style quarterback prospects nationally, and followed with offers to dual-threat quarterbacks Darlington, who led his team to a Florida state title last season, and Brandon Harris of Bossier City, La. Herman watched all three on different days during their schools’ spring football drills. Ohio high schools aren’t allowed to hold spring practices.

It was the recruiting equivalent of casting a national dragnet. It was newsworthy because no position is more vital to a football team than quarterback, especially in Meyer’s spread offense. That the three players Meyer and Herman identified seem quite different in ability is missing the point.

“The best quarterback,” Meyer said a couple of weeks ago when asked what he seeks for the position.

And what did he tell Darlington?

“He told me they’re not only looking for someone who is going to be great, but who is also going to make the team great,” Darlington said. “That’s what I want to be able to do, not only to do great things but to bring my team with me, to push them ahead of me and keep everything going.”

But Meyer wants more than just a leader.

“A quarterback that can run,” Meyer said.

Not that they are seeking a laser-etched copy of Braxton Miller, who in the first year under Meyer and Herman in 2012 set an Ohio State season record for total offense.

“You probably won’t find another kid like Braxton Miller,” Meyer said. “I wish I could, but you probably won’t find another kid that fast and that athletic.

“But I am convinced — and our belief system is — you have to be able to get out of trouble, or it’s a bad day. And that comes from watching our defense game-planning from week to week — the quarterbacks that can’t move, the defensive guys love that.”

Allen likes the pocket but has shown an ability to buy time with his feet and escape when needed. In Apopka’s victory in the state title game, Darlington put on a show running the option one minute and throwing passes the next. It’s the same with Harris, who plays in a stout league in northwestern Louisiana.

“You have to be able to throw, oh yes,” Meyer said, as if that were a given. “And we have to be able to do that much better.”

He referred to Ohio State’s offense and Miller, whose quest is to become better in the passing game heading into his junior season. If he does, there is a good chance he could leave for the NFL. Considering that his backup, Kenny Guiton, is a senior, that would leave just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster: redshirt freshman Cardale Jones and freshman J.T. Barrett, a member of the 2013 recruiting class.

That’s why it’s imperative the Buckeyes sign at least one more quarterback with the 2014 class. Although all three who were offered last week were thrilled, none committed.

“My approach right now is I want to be able to get up there on a visit, make sure I fall in love with everything about Ohio State, and I expect I will,” Darlington said.

tmay@dispatch.com

@TIM_MAYsports

QBs offered scholarships by OSU

Kyle Allen

6 FEET 4, 195 POUNDS / SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. (DESERT MOUNTAIN)

• Status: Pro-style QB also has offers from Notre Dame,

Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, among others.

Zack Darlington

6 FEET 1, 210 POUNDS / APOPKA, FLA.

• Status: Dual-threat QB also has offers from Nebraska,

Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others.

Brandon Harris

6 FEET 3, 190 POUNDS / BOSSIER CITY, LA. (PARKWAY)

• Status: Dual-threat QB also has offers from Texas A&M, Baylor and Arkansas, among others.